Review: Serafina, Mumbai

A large menu and generous portions are just two big reasons that make Serafina a great new option

A large menu and generous portions are just two big reasons that make Serafina a great new option.

Time was when eating at Palladium meant heading towards the far end of the mall; towards Indigo Deli, Moshe’s, Asia 7 or even the little Le 15 Pâtisserie counter. Now, there’s a good reason to turn your back to them – although they’re still our reliable favourites – and walk into the North Italian style restaurant Serafina.

The New York City-based restaurant chain’s first Indian outpost serves a wide selection of thin-crust pizzas, pastas and salads, but don’t let a list like that (which sounds like any new local restaurant’s menu) discourage you. The pizzas are truly thin and light – not as airy and crackling as Indigo’s however – and most of them are topped with San Marzano tomatoes; the sweet and fruity kind, which make all other pizza toppings taste like bottled ketchup. The Di Fabio, topped with mozzarella, prosciutto di Parma, and sliced tomato, deliciously contrasted the flavours of the moist and papery prosciutto and the smokey aroma of the crust.

If all of Serafina’s pastas are as ‘al dente’ as the Ravioli Ai Porcini (mushrooms) we had, then we can’t wait to try the other variations. The pillowy discs were firm but not chewy, and just soft enough to easily release a burst of hearty flavour. What’s more, there were a dozen of these carefully crafted pockets in our portion, which is an unusually generous amount – most other places would serve half a dozen in one portion.

The generosity doesn’t stop there. The Lobster Carpaccio (which comes with baby rocket salad, fresh corn kernels and a few hearts of palm) was served in a dish as large as a 12-inch pizza. Given the steep prices – Rs 825 for the lobster carpaccio and Rs 1,285 for the Di Fabio pizza – this generosity is more than welcome.

They didn’t skimp on the cocktails either. The Jalapeno Margarita was stiff and sharp, served in the usual margarita glass but the fresh and summery Mandarin Mojito came in a glass big enough for a pint of beer, like the glasses Bombay Blue uses to serve milkshakes in. It’s as if they don’t want you to feel bad about missing happy hours elsewhere.

When the dessert menu arrived, separate from the food and drinks menu and trimmed with red ribbon, we knew this place took their dolce seriously. As we tucked into the tiramisu and spooned the panna cotta, we realised there was no need to leave room for dessert. These preparations were so light and the flavours so delicate that we felt none of the heaviness normally associated with these creamy creations. We’re pretty sure that we’ll be turning our backs to our usual Palladium favourites at least once more.